Allotments 4 All

Thank you for the Mogette beans.  Had four pods last night, young they are an excellent green bean and they are really early too. 

I know this is an old topic, but I've seen plenty of bees and other insects on the dandelion flowers...

I am saddened to see how "cheap" and easily available weedkiller is (supermarkets, cheapo stores).

I do like that early flush of Dandelions, such a cheerful colour on a drab spring (or even winter) day.

Bees have been loving my chive flowers, and now the toadflax is in bloom, they love them. They also loved the ocean of forget-me-not weeds covering my plot in April/early May.

Some of the bushes have branches without leaves... looking bare... but plenty of fruit.... however, now my blackbirdies are stripping the currants now... not even ripe. I'm blaming the RSP on their advice about summer feeding.

Recently discovered slug golf!

Can't remember where I read about it, but ages back, used bran to tempt the slugs away from our wanted plants.

https://awaytogarden.com/a-spectrum-of-colorful-podded-peas-with-peace-seedlings/

And interesting artice featuring a number of the peas that have been shared in this seed circle.

I've been using loo roll inners for beans and sweetcorn..

The ultimate biodegradable pots without the cost is of course making your own pots from newspaper.  Doesn't have the big problem that roots can't so easily break through, although at planting out time, make sure the rim of the paper pot is under the soil or tear it off if it is not.  No need at all to buy the formers, I use small bottles of the right size to make my own, when I use them.  In the video, the lady uses a glass, whatever provides the right size pot you need.  They don't hold together on their own very well, so I place several of them into one of those plastic fruit containers from the supermarket.  The ones that have holes in the base already. 

Here is the video  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b_x6OSKQr4o&t=117s

These are the supermarket punnets that I place my paper pots in  https://www.shopler.co.uk/blog/why-fruit-punnets-are-the-supermarkets-bestselling-packaging/?srsltid=AfmBOop4xOvX3eqQ3YBPV2GBunKged1WZXImGqYdf-4NlWe5vN97ptyo

Given that you, Galina and I, and many others, have happily transplanted beans for decades without this trouble, I would still suspect over-rich soil or watering before root disturbance. But good luck with biodegradable pots if you decide to try them out. I imagine they're not cheap so you could always try a few and compare results with those you simply transplant from roottrainers.

Thank you both for your comments. The  bean plants (Runner and French climbing) usually start to show yellowing leaves within a few days of being planted. Some recover and throw up fresh leaves. Others wither and die. No evidence of any pest damage.
I've grown peas and broad beans in RootTrainers for years for planting out and not really had this problem.
The recent ones I planted had good root systems but were not root bound. The soil is in a raised bed enriched with  good quality compost.
Looked up something about transplant problems with beans and research apparently suggests it's to do with damage to special root hairs that link in with the Nitrogen fixing bacteria many legumes have.

I agree with JanG.  My usual problem is that slugs love newly planted out French beans.  But you see their tell tale slimy trails.  A cut off plastic bottle on top, until the plant is big enough to withstand slugs fixes that.  Another predator are voles, who nip off the stems of more mature plants even.  If you only have so few surviving, I would suggest frost (which is not the culprit you say), slugs or voles. Could also be chickens who nibble at plants, if you have those.  I guess netting helps against chickens.